#protestanism

the Holy Spirit is a sleek black cat with a deep gaze, sniffing its dark little nose in the grass by the Crucifix of the local parish church near my house. it is dark and i am exhausted, and telling my friend about my Beloved over text, about how dearly i wish to just collapse into his arms. i walk around the block in the dark, and the black cat emerges from among the parking cars. we share a gaze before and after it crosses me. this time i know for sure i am being watched.

the Holy Spirit is today's reading from Isaiah. "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you." it is the pastor as he speaks about the healing power of an embrace and me as i stare at the ornate ceiling before burying my head in my hands. it is the sentence: "Let us give grace for the person, the object, through which God shows us His comfort." and i did. i always will. if for nothing, then for the sole reason God keeps proclaiming him to me.

the Holy Spirit is a pigeon in the sun. the Holy Spirit is a cat among the cars. the Holy Spirit is smiling off the ornate ceiling of my parish.

Recently I’ve been asked quite a bit even by a brother in Christ whether or not the LGBTQ is sinful or not?

to which I say the following: John 8:32

Pride itself is a sin, because it implies you want to do things your way rather than God’s way. Believing your path is best and true, which is why God says pride Goes before the fall. Another instance saying he humbles the proud and exhausts the humble

proverbs 16:18

Matthew 23:12

Now, when it’s comes to LGBTQ+ they exhibit that pride, because they are essentially saying God made them in the wrong bodies or made them to have homosexual, polygamous, adulterous, or beastiality in nature. There are many verses that indicate and show that those statements and actions are far from true.

““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭13‬-‭16‬

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” ‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭18‬:‭22‬

“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭28‬

“Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.” ‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭18‬:‭23

It’s wrong to practice such things, for it defiles the body. And the body my family are temples.

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭

Now, just because they are practicing and indulging in sin does not mean they should be despised or treated differently from any other sinner. -Do we treat liars the same way? No.

-How about heterosexual sinners that watch pornography, sleep around, or even masturbate; do we treat them with hate? No.

-Do we despise any type of sinner with hate? No

We’re not here to cause strife but give HOPE.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬

Even if the lost mock us, ridicule us, or even blaspheme Christ; we shouldn’t let it consume us with hate. Though it’s true there are times to flip tables, remember in end vengeance is his and not ours (Romans 12:19)

Focus on our mission-Speak with love and kindness as Christ did to many in the gospels, and even us right now, we who carry our own testimonies.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬-‭32‬

This is what it truly means to hate the sin but love the sinner, the way Christ did us. Which is why we’re called to call others out of their sin and into repentance, to know Christ the true God who loves them and created them with purpose and design, with no fault nor error.

In the end those who hear his will come, trust in that (John 10:27-30)

Many blessings my fam, and remember always:

Lutheranism, Calvinism

I was baptized protestant/evangelical (European version, not the ""extremists"" i hear US Americans talk about -- putting it in quotations because i don't know enough nor is this the space to make judgements) and have a complicated relationship with god. My family was never super duper hard-core religious anyways.

I didn't have a nice childhood and - since toddlerhood - would pray to god begging to make it better. I eventually in my teens reached the point of "what god would ignore a child begging for rescue every night?" and ever since then have been trying to figure out where I stand. And I am kind of considering getting a Bible translation i remember a teacher recommended. I'm considering figuring things out. I would never become completely centered around religion, but i want to patch up my rocky relationship with it.

I was talking about that in a conversation on discord and a friend reacted by dismissing religion/god. It felt a bit insensitive when I had. just said I'm trying to find my place there. But I'm not entirely sure if they were just attempting to "comfort" me from the religious trauma and completely missed the mark

This is anti religion, specifically Christian shaming.

This is really sad. I think every Christian has gone through a period of self doubt at some point - especially because Christianity is severely white-washed, has been twisted to be patriarchal, and is heavily colonized in many places.

This is simply a side effect of what's happened to it. Honestly my best advice is to deconstruct and study genuine Christianity. About how accepting of queer people women, and racial minorities it ACTUALLY is.